Audience Essay-Wigley

“Audiences are becoming increasingly powerful in shaping media output”
Write in reference to your case study, how far is this true?

My case study is based on “Fantasy drama”. The three texts I will be looking at are “The Vampire Diaries”, “True Blood” and “Misfits”.  Each of the three text work on all three platform, some more than others and they all relate the genre I am looking at. My first two texts “The Vampire Diaries” and “True Blood” generated from the platform print via, the books series. It then moved onto the broadcast platform through its TV program that is shown every Tuesdays at 9pm. For Vampire Dairies and the timings and dates very for True Blood. The each also works on the emedia platform as they have their own websites.  Misfits however started off as a broadcast and then moved on to emedia via its E4 website, it has not developed much on the print platform but it is working on all three platforms.

One way in which my three texts allow me to agree with this statement is through the emedia platform in which they each work on. Each of my text work on the emedia platform and through this platform they allow the audience to help shape what happens within the text. For example they all have websites which have registered fans and these fans are able to leave comments on the text itself. These comments can be anything, they can say if they liked the adapted storyline from the books or if they disliked them. They can suggest bits from the books the intuition should put into it and also for misfits they can suggest different power for different characters and different things they wish to see in the programs. So through this we can agree that the audience are becoming powerful in shaping the media outputs.

Another way in which we can agree that the audience are becoming increasingly powerful in shaping media output is YouTube. Each of my three texts has User Generated Content (UGC) . Fans upload pictures and video that they have made, these video help to portray some of the ideologies that the text presents. Also on YouTube, the intuitions themselves upload speak peaks or “testers” of clips for future episodes and if they get many likes and view they know this is what the audience want, if there are mainly dislikes then they don’t normally show it.

However audience theories show us that the audience don’t have much power and the power still remains in the hands of the intuitions. My three texts consist of three of the audience theories; Cultivation theory, Desensition and copy cat theory. I believe these theories all fit each of my text because, the shows are showing fantasies coming alive and therefore audience might start to believe that there are vampires, werewolves and abnormal powers. Also each of these texts have explicit content and violence within them. This relates to the Desensition theory as some people may believe that it is alright to act in such ways like sexual violence as well as physical. These theories show that the audience are being controlled by the intuitions and that this is how they are reacting to the programs and books, as the books to have quite detailed imagery.

In conclusion I believe that the statement is to correct to an certain extent, I still think that the intuitions have the most power, however the audience have gained a lot more power of how to shape the media outputs than they used due to the change in technology and more interactivity.  

Case Study HW- Wigley

How do audiences access texts across the three platforms?
• Do the texts enable different types of audience activity and/or interaction?
• Are audiences able to play a role in the construction of media texts? (UGC)
• Are there differences in the audience gratifications offered across the three platforms?

My three texts are based on fantasy drama, Vampire Dairies, True Blood and Misfits. For each of my texts the audience are able to access broadcast through the different channels that they are broadcast onto. Vampire Dairies and Misfits are easier to access due to the fact they have a fixed day, time and channel. Where as True Blood is harder to access for audience because it doesn’t have a fixed time or day, this is down to the fact that the content shown in the program is quite explicit.

The audience are able to access the texts through e media down to the fact that each of the texts have either their own website. Through the use of this website they are able to interact with the text. On each website audiences are able to sign up/ register to the websites. This allows them to leave comments on the website page and share their views on each of the texts. Its also enables them to be constantly updated with the new events and news about each of the texts.  They are able to share pictures and video that they may have found via YouTube and other search engines.

On print however only two of my texts are easier to access, Vampire Dairies and True Blood. This is due to the fact that each of the texts has its own book series out. Misfits however is not a book series and is harder to access via print, however there are ways, such a through magazines and posters.

Each of the platforms allows the text to have its own different gratifications. The gratifications for print are escapism and information/education. These are because, if the audience have seen the TV program, which doesn’t give much of the information they are able to read the books and find out more details which are not given through the program. Also it is just more intense when reading the books so the detail allows the audience to be drawn further into the book  The gratifications for e media differ, social interaction as they are able to meet and talk with other people who have the same interest as them. As it give them a topic to talk about.

What institutional issues are raised by the topic areas?
• How are institutions reacting to change in technology?
• How are institutions attempting to reach and engage their audiences?
• What economic issues are behind the construction and distribution of contemporary media texts?

The creators of “The vampire Diaries” on the platform broadcast are Kevin Williamson &
Julie Plec. They based it on the books written by L.J.Smith. The print format for this text hasn’t changed much apart from the fact that they have created new covers for the books which are based on the broadcast TV program. However for “The Vampire Diaries” print platform has now changed and has entered the platform of emdia and broadcast. At first the text was only on print with the books, but now they have a website and the TV program there for being on all three platforms.  The “True Blood” texts are the same. At first it was only working on the print platform with the books by Charlaine Harris. However5 now it works on all three platforms including emedia and broadcast. Although, it works more on broadcast than emedia as on the website it in only so much you can do.

Misfits is another story. They started on the platform of broadcast first with there TV program on the channel E4. They then moved to emedia with the website and haven’t yet gotten on to the print platform fully. They only have appearances in magazines and few adverts.

 

Cross Media Case Study Research-Wigley